José Fernando González Maya

Colombia is the sixth country in mammal richness worldwide (553 species) and the fourth in the Americas. This high diversity presents significant conservation and management challenges. Although knowledge of mammalian biology has advanced, the 2006 “Libro Rojo de los Mamíferos de Colombia” was the last major effort to assess the risk category for the country's mammals. New risk assessments require updated species records, especially for little-documented taxa. This dataset contains records of 136 mammal species (24.6% of the national total) provided by 51 institutions from trail cameras and museum specimens. It also includes occurrence comments useful for identifying priority conservation areas. This is the first dataset to compile Colombian mammal records from trail cameras, human observations and biological collections. We assembled 97,921 unpublished records of 136 species, including 36 endemic, 92 used by humans and 56 categorised as Data Deficient or threatened (national/international). The data span 30 of 32 Departments, offering vital input for future distribution and conservation assessments. While most records (n = 96,417; 98.4%) are from non-invasive methods like trail cameras, museum specimens (n = 1,310) were crucial for small, medium and restricted-distribution species. This joint interinstitutional effort provides a foundation for comprehensively assessing the conservation status of all mammals in Colombia.

Latin America and the Caribbean (LACA) is one of the most biodiverse regions globally, yet it continues to experience accelerated biodiversity loss driven by persistent and emerging anthropogenic pressures. In 2009, the Society for Conservation Biology conducted a regional assessment of conservation challenges; however, the evolution of these dynamics over the following 15 years had not been systematically reassessed. We conducted an updated regional synthesis of biodiversity conservation priorities, perceived threats, and implementation barriers across 25 countries, based on a 2024 survey of conservation professionals ( n = 244). Respondents were predominantly experienced practitioners affiliated with academic institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and government agencies. Our findings were consistent with the patterns reported in 2009, with deforestation, habitat fragmentation, industrial agriculture, climate change, and pollution persisting as the most severe threats. However, these traditional drivers are now compounded by the intensification of landscape‐scale pressures and a marked shift toward the security–conservation nexus. Respondents explicitly identified organized crime and drug trafficking as primary constraints that compromise both ecosystem integrity and the safety of practitioners. Although conservation tools, such as protected areas and environmental policies, have diversified and improved in many ways, their effectiveness remains limited by a diversification without consolidation trend, characterized by chronic underfunding, corruption, and weak intersectoral coordination. Furthermore, engagement with local communities and citizen science remains predominantly low to moderate, highlighting an enduring gap between policy design and on‐the‐ground implementation. This study underscores that addressing biodiversity loss in LACA has moved beyond the need for technical solutions; it now requires a fundamental transformation in governance quality, institutional integrity, and state capacity to protect the region's natural heritage and the communities that depend on it.

The impact of humans on biodiversity is the focus of much research as we attempt to identify the challenges created by anthropogenic influence during the Anthropocene. The COVID-19 epidemic and associated lockdowns resulted in massive shifts in human use of protected areas that created a natural experiment to assess the impacts of human visitation. The Andean bear is the only bear species distributed in South America. Despite being one of the most charismatic species in South America, many aspects of its biology and conservation status are understudied or unknown. We conducted a camera-trapping study across the eastern range of Colombia to assess the effects of COVID-19 lockdown established by the Colombian government over occupancy patterns of Andean bear at the Chingaza Massif. We used a Bayesian single-species occupancy framework to estimate occupancy as a function of landscape and anthropogenic factors. Our results showed that occupancy patterns were negatively affected by NDVI and positively affected by distance to towns. Detectability was affected negatively by the distance to human infrastructure. COVID-19 post-lockdown affected positively the occupancy increasing the areas that Andean bear used at the Chingaza Massif, potentially due to the decrease of human activities such as tourism, car movements decrease and absence of people in areas where the species is distributed. Our study provide the first comprehensive overview of the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns over Andean bear occupancy patterns in Colombia and South America.

The Colombian Caribbean region has suffered significant loss and fragmentation of natural ecosystems, especially tropical dry forests. Despite its rich mammal fauna and ecological importance, information on its diversity remains limited. This study compiles camera‐trap records obtained between 2010 and 2024 to document the composition and structure of wild mammal assemblages in the region. Camera traps are an effective method for detecting a wide variety of species over large areas. The datasets obtained using this technique allow us to describe patterns and monitor the occupancy, abundance, and richness of wildlife, providing essential information for conservation in regions undergoing rapid habitat loss and fragmentation. We present a dataset of camera‐trap surveys of wild mammals (>1 kg) in the Colombian Caribbean. We compiled information from 635 sampling stations, collected between 2010 and 2024, resulting in 17,273 records and 3108 occurrences of 41 species belonging to 35 genera, 22 families, and nine orders. Most of the records (64.60%) come from unpublished sources, supplemented with data from online databases, scientific articles, theses, and technical reports. When available, we included information on the brand and model of the cameras and the use of bait, variables relevant to detection, was included. Carnivora was the most diverse order (16 species), followed by Rodentia (6), with Dasyprocta punctata, Didelphis marsupialis, and Cuniculus paca as the most recorded species, based on the total number of camera‐trap records. Dasyprocta punctata accounted for 25.43% of all records, while Didelphis marsupialis and Cuniculus paca contributed 11.54% and 8.13%, respectively, together representing 45.11% of the entire dataset. In terms of biomass, herbivores dominated (58.05%), followed by mesocarnivores (23.07%) and large carnivores (9.70%), while omnivores contributed the smallest proportion (2.01%). Of the species recorded, 21.95% are classified in threatened categories according to the IUCN Red List, specifically Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN), and Critically Endangered (CR). The sampling covered a variety of environmental conditions, with greater richness in tropical dry forest, heterogeneous agricultural areas, and scrubland. This dataset can be used for studies of occupancy, relative abundance, species richness, daily activity patterns, and interspecific interactions, as well as for analysis with environmental covariates such as human footprint or landscape metrics. In addition, it provides a baseline for planning and managing mammal conservation in one of Colombia's most degraded landscapes. The data are released under the Creative Commons Attribution license, and this article should be cited when using the data.

Sexual dimorphism and caudal autotomy are poorly documented in the lizard genus Abronia . We analyzed sexual size dimorphism and caudal autotomy in 54 adult Campbell’s Alligator Lizards ( Abronia campbelli ) from Jalapa, Guatemala. We measured snout–vent length (SVL), head width (HW), and body mass (BM) for 29 males and 25 females. While both sexes showed similar SVL and BM, the males had significantly broader heads than females relative to body size and body mass. In addition, caudal autotomy was similar between males and females. This monomorphism in body size, coupled with dimorphism in head width, suggests that sexual selection, likely driven by male–male combat or the need to grasp females during mating, acts strongly on male head morphology in this species.

Target 4 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) calls for urgent management actions to halt human-induced extinctions and enable species recovery. However, most Parties face substantial challenges in determining which species require urgent management actions. Here, we present a transparent, standardised protocol that identifies and ranks species most likely to need urgent management actions at the national level, using globally available data from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The protocol integrates four criteria aligned with Target 4: global extinction risk, rate of decline, population or range restriction, and endemism, to generate a national ranked list of species. Species scoring highly on these four criteria, and therefore most in need of urgent management action, are ranked most highly. We applied this method to all 250 countries and territories listed in the IUCN Red List and pilot-tested national rankings with participants from eight diverse countries. Across pilots, participants reported that the ranked lists were scientifically robust, time-saving, and valuable starting points for national priority-setting, while stating the importance of national context, and the need for additional technical and financial support for implementation. Our results demonstrate that a science-based approach can meaningfully support Parties in identifying species requiring urgent action under Target 4, in a standardised way. With 2030 approaching rapidly, this protocol provides an immediate, practical tool to accelerate progress toward halting extinctions and advancing species recovery.

Coyote ( Canis latrans ) populations are expanding into urban areas, but how they adapt their feeding ecology to the wildland-urban interface remains poorly understood, especially near megacities like Mexico City. This study evaluates coyote diet across an anthropogenic gradient in Sierra del Ajusco, comparing a conserved (Las Rosas) and a human-modified (Las Maravillas) site. We analyzed 198 scats collected over one year, using prey diversity (Shannon-Wiener H’) and network modularity (Louvain algorithm) to assess spatial and seasonal differences. Mammals dominated the diet at both sites (RF > 74%), with Microtus mexicanus as the primary prey. We found no significant difference in annual dietary diversity between the conserved (H’ = 2.245) and modified (H’ = 2.368) sites (p = 0.2502), which was supported by a low network modularity (0.073). However, we found a significant seasonal shift in diet diversity at the conserved site (p = 0.02587), but not at the modified site (p = 0.6874). Our results suggest that the primary impact of anthropogenic disturbance is not a simple change in diet diversity, but rather a buffering of seasonal variation. The stable, year-round availability of anthropogenic resources in the modified landscape appears to decouple the coyote’s feeding ecology from natural seasonal cycles, fundamentally altering its ecological role.

Protected Natural Areas (PNAs) are essential for biodiversity conservation, but they face multiple threats, particularly biological invasions driven by ongoing, intense human activities. The northeastern region of Mexico, covering Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas, has high biodiversity and endemism, with more than 80 PNAs. However, this region has recently recorded the presence of invasive exotic species (IES) with strong potential for spread. This paper analyzes biological invasions by assessing the current and future climatic suitability of three invasive exotic species: collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto), feral pig (Sus scrofa), and Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) in PNAs of northeastern Mexico. The goal is to identify high-risk invasion areas and to inform the design of preventive management and conservation strategies. Using the MaxEnt program to model the ecological niche of these species, potential geographic distribution areas were identified, and the highest-risk zones within the PNAs were outlined. The potential distribution of the three species was estimated to cover approximately 44% of the area of these conservation zones; the most vulnerable areas are Maderas del Carmen, Ocampo, and Cumbres de Monterrey. The obtained models indicate an increased distribution of A. lervia and S. scrofa domesticus under the future climate scenario, whereas the distribution of S. decaocto shows a slight decrease. This study recommends the regional implementation of a monitoring and surveillance strategy for invasive exotic species to guide management actions that interrupt their dispersal and reduce their impacts on native flora and fauna in northeastern Mexico.

The Área Natural Única Los Estoraques (ANULE) is part of the 65 national natural parks of Colombia. Although this protected area is included in the Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (SINAP-Colombia), contains unique geomorphological formations, and includes an endangered ecosystem such as tropical dry forest, it is subjected to constant anthropogenic pressures. To support biodiversity management and conservation processes, we obtained baseline data on the presence and activity patterns of medium and large-sized mammals through 10 camera-trap stations placed in 1.0 km2 from October 2017 to June 2018, supplemented by complementary monitoring methods. With a sampling effort of 2,770 camera-trap nights, we recorded 18 species. The species with the highest capture rates (CR) were Didelphis marsupialis Linnaeus, 1758, Dasypus fenestratus Peters, 1864, and Dasyprocta punctata Gray, 1842 (20.27, 18.21, and 14.43, respectively). Galictis vittata (Schreber, 1776) and Coendou longicaudatus Daudin, 1802 had the lowest capture rates (0.34 each) and exhibited a predominantly diurnal activity pattern. We found a nocturnal trend for the assemblage and low activity overlap among most species. This is the first assessment of the diversity of medium and large-sized mammals for ANULE and the second for the north-eastern Andes in the country. The predominantly nocturnal pattern observed could be due to the presence of cattle, dogs, and hunters during the diurnal period. Although a considerable number of species were recorded, several had low capture rates, suggesting that current management plans are not sufficient to safeguard the biodiversity they contain.

Background and Research Aims: A habitat corridor proposed in 1986 to connect La Amistad International Park (PILA) with the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica has yet to be evaluated for its effectiveness. This study assesses the permeability of PILA’s buffer zone for medium and large mammals by examining species presence across different zones and vegetation types. Methods: We used 24 camera traps placed along a gradient extending up to 10 km from the PILA boundary to evaluate changes in mammal community composition and structure with distance from the park. We also analyzed the influence of landscape attributes and anthropogenic threats on species’ presence. Results: We observed a gradual shift in mammal communities; vulnerable species concentrated near the park edge and disturbance-tolerant species more common farther away. Landscape features associated with higher disturbances, such as small forest patches and proximity to agricultural areas, favored the presence of medium-sized generalist species, particularly omnivores. While the area is permeable to these generalists, it is less so for forest-specialist species. We recommend restoring riparian forest strips that resemble remnants of the protected area to facilitate movement of large mammals into the buffer zone. Implications for Conservation: These findings offer a baseline for understanding mammal habitat requirements critical to maintaining and restoring connectivity between two of Costa Rica’s last major forest strongholds. Our results support ongoing government and private efforts to create a functional wildlife landscape in the region.